Worst piece of art/memorabilia in a pub

[Soup Dragon]

Hi all

I hate modern arty pubs - but today, at the Wheatsheaf, Laney Green, Cannocky way, i saw a piece of art that looked like a road traffic accident - blood and oil. This was in the dining area as well! These arty, modern, soulless pubs are bizarre - bloomin' twigs in a vase with fairy lights on - what the hell is that all about? That was at the Bear in Bridgnorth.

I know some people may say they like that kind of thing, so for you, I have been to pubs that have witch puppets hanging from the ceiling and i have been to the Manor Arms in Rushall, where a childs arm (skeletal and now in Walsall museum) was found.

Whatever your taste in pub decor - what is the worst, most bizarre, or darn right puzzling thing you have seen in a pub being passed off as a curio, or art?

[Conrad]

I have been trying to think of anything like this and failed miserably, I think my brain just blanks them as I am sure there must have been some real tosh in some of the pubs I have visited.

Instead however I shall tell you tales of The Ship, a pub I used to visit. It is in a good location to just stroll down to the centre of Bristol to catch a bus at the end of the night. One time in there with Dave though we were privileged to see a gentleman attacking the suggestions box with a screwdriver. Noticing our attention, he decided to chat to us when we found out he was the area manager and looking after the pub, having got there he was interested to see what suggestions were in there and discovered there was no key to the box (does this mean the box constitutes art?), hence his decision to force it. He turned out to be quite a good chap and we did actually carry on drinking there regularly through a few changes of management till 'the incident'.

We turned up there to discover a new management family, including the children running round the bar like mad heads (I personally am not a kiddie fan, so this was disruptive enough). Clearly realising the children were not quite hyper enough the kindly new management decided to play the, at the time song of vogue, Crazy Frog .... 3 FECKING TIMES. So down with the drinks and never go back.

Important Foot Note. The pub has been through at least 2 changes of management since this time and 1 renovation, so this review is truly out of date, I will pop into the pub next time I am in the area and try and get a new impression of it as it does not deserve to be damned by that review.

Conrad

[Soup Dragon]

I have been trying to think of anything like this and failed miserably, I think my brain just blanks them as I am sure there must have been some real tosh in some of the pubs I have visited.

Instead however I shall tell you tales of The Ship, a pub I used to visit. It is in a good location to just stroll down to the centre of Bristol to catch a bus at the end of the night. One time in there with Dave though we were privileged to see a gentleman attacking the suggestions box with a screwdriver. Noticing our attention, he decided to chat to us when we found out he was the area manager and looking after the pub, having got there he was interested to see what suggestions were in there and discovered there was no key to the box (does this mean the box constitutes art?), hence his decision to force it. He turned out to be quite a good chap and we did actually carry on drinking there regularly through a few changes of management till 'the incident'.

We turned up there to discover a new management family, including the children running round the bar like mad heads (I personally am not a kiddie fan, so this was disruptive enough). Clearly realising the children were not quite hyper enough the kindly new management decided to play the, at the time song of vogue, Crazy Frog .... 3 FECKING TIMES. So down with the drinks and never go back.

Important Foot Note. The pub has been through at least 2 changes of management since this time and 1 renovation, so this review is truly out of date, I will pop into the pub next time I am in the area and try and get a new impression of it as it does not deserve to be damned by that review.

Conrad

Ooooh! the little darlings.

I guess it counts as living, or performance art. As does the time when all the bar staff at one place in Cannock dressed in St Trinians stuff for charity. Took them three days to get me out - happy days

[Conrad]

Used to be worth visiting The Hatchet for that reason, you never quite knew what you were in for. It is in one of the smarter areas of Bristol so the normal mix of suited people, 2 minutes walk away is the Queenshilling which can attract the camp end of the gay spectrum, and also at times The Hatchet has hosted the Spank event which is a regular fetish night in Bristol. A definite highlight was School Disco night for the 80's crowd at the Academy though, frequently people would come in for a quick drink at the Hatchet first.

Definitely a pub to sit in and watch the World go by.

[aleandhearty]

The Hatchet has hosted the Spank event which is a regular fetish night...

I'm guessing it's not a sit-down do!

[Conrad]

Spank used to be held on the first and second floor of the pub while the ground floor just carried on being a normal pub.

I do remember me and Dave sat in there one night intrigued by the bloke sat across from us. All in black, sat alone, and appeared to have a white collar on. Something didn't seem right, anyway the pieces fell into place when we spotted he was had a carrier bag with a horse whip in it. We assumed he was having a quick drink whilst waiting for the Spank club to kick off.

[Dave M]

These arty, modern, soulless pubs are bizarre - bloomin' twigs in a vase with fairy lights on - what the hell is that all about?

Twigs in a vase is a really good hint for me to turn around. It instantly tells me that their 'Good old fashioned burger' off their 'traditional pub grub' menu is going to set me back £12.95 and that I'm going to end up with a reassuringly very expensive lager to go with it.

The Ship

I was actually at the Ship when the internal photo that we have on the site was taken, having just had a careful look at it I notice they were actually serving Theakstons MILD that day. Ah well, I enjoyed my Summer Lightning.

[Soup Dragon]

Twigs in a vase is a really good hint for me to turn around. It instantly tells me that their 'Good old fashioned burger' off their 'traditional pub grub' menu is going to set me back £12.95 and that I'm going to end up with a reassuringly very expensive lager to go with it.


I was actually at the Ship when the internal photo that we have on the site was taken, having just had a careful look at it I notice they were actually serving Theakstons MILD that day. Ah well, I enjoyed my Summer Lightning.

These twigs had lights - so maybe add another fiver on the cost of the meal!

You publicity seeking glory hunter - awaiting the headlines 'Dave snapped in pub' - Whilst Hopback is decent enough, i cant believe you gave up a Theakston's MILD for it - Son, you need therapy.

Worries me a little that Mr C knows so much about the Bristol scenes? Research is it, Squire?

[Dave M]

You publicity seeking glory hunter - awaiting the headlines 'Dave snapped in pub' - Whilst Hopback is decent enough, i cant believe you gave up a Theakston's MILD for it - Son, you need therapy.

I would like to clarify that the person visible in the photo is not me but in fact a rather pleasant barmaid as I recall.

Given that Milds are so rare down here there is no way I was asking for that, the nice barmaid might've assumed I couldn't handle a proper pint! It would've been like asking for a half!!

[Delboy20]

We turned up there to discover a new management family, including the children running round the bar like mad heads (I personally am not a kiddie fan, so this was disruptive enough). Clearly realising the children were not quite hyper enough the kindly new management decided to play the, at the time song of vogue, Crazy Frog .... 3 FECKING TIMES. So down with the drinks and never go back.

Hi there,

This reminds me of a visit to "The Wharf" in Old Hill a few years back with my brother. We walked in to find kids toys everywhere.All over the floor and tables - there was even a half drunk bottle of baby milk on one table next to an overflowing ash tray !! A toddler and a large dog were behaving like lunatics.
The worst thing however was the smell. It was gut wrenching. Being brave souls we ordered a couple of pints. The barmaid must have noticed us looking sick from the smell because she offered an explanation I shall never forget
"Don't worry about the stink - I have had the dogs dinner in the oven too long !". It was a short visit !!!
Having said that I had some great times in the Wharf and was genuinely saddened when it closed. It has since been torched and demolished. I don't think it is listed on the site - perhaps I will suggest it for old times sake !!

Cheers,

Del.